About

Rita Catinella Orrell is an author and design journalist working in New Jersey. She has been a member of the design press for over 25 years, covering interior design, home furnishings, kitchen and bath design, and architectural building products. She was products editor for Architectural Record for over 14 years and was the founding editor of SNAP, an award-winning building products tabloid.

She continues to contribute to those journals as well as other publications including Texas Architect, American Craft, Contract, Interior Design, and Engineering News-Record. Orrell curates two blogs on design: designythings.com, a list of gifts, gadgets, and gear for consumers, and ArchitectsToybox.com, a blog dedicated to building products and accessories for architects and designers.

Orrell has a M.A. in Creative Writing from CUNY Queens College, and her poetry chapbook Stuck in the Dream Wheel was published by Finishing Line Press in 2005. Her first product design book, Objects of Desire: A Showcase of Modern Erotic Products and the Creative Minds Behind Them, was published by Schiffer Publishing in 2016. She is currently writing several manuscripts for children from picture books to middle grade. She lives with her husband, two daughters, and Boston Terrier in an 1880’s Queen Anne Victorian that requires her constant love and support.

Image by Yasmeen Anderson Photography

In the News:

7/25/17

101 Architecture Accounts to Follow on Twitter

“@RitaOrrell This journalist has a knack for finding funky and optimistic design projects from around the world. Follow for some smirks with your deep thoughts.”